English landowners benefited from a long arc of improvement
starting in the 1770s and ending around 1875. There were moments of
difficulty, notably at the end of the French wars in 1816, but
generally a rising population with greater spending power and
increased productivity brought through greater investment,
artificial fertilizers, improved drainage and more scientific
farming enabled improving rentals. Poor harvests in the late 1870s
were the harbingers of a change in fortunes which would last until
the end of the second world war. The main cause was the
introduction of steam-driven machinery in the American prairies,
and steam-driven shipping across the Atlantic, both conspiring to
drive down the cost of grains. Refrigerated meat …

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1469Agricultural crisis2Historical context notes are intended to give basic and preliminary information on a topic. In some cases they will be expanded into longer entries as the Literary Encyclopedia evolves.

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